Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs denied second mistrial request in sex trafficking case
Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs requested a mistrial for the second time last week, claiming “prosecutorial misconduct” had occurred. However, Judge Arun Subramanian denied the rapper on June 10th, following a letter sent to him a few days earlier.
Subramanian said the defence’s arguments weren’t convincing, and the points were “not fodder for a mistrial,” instead a “adversarial process at work.”
Judge Arun Subramanian admitted “the government screwed up,” but that it wasn’t enough for a mistrial. He said that Combs’ lawyer, Nicole Westmoreland, “had a real Perry Mason moment,” referring to the legal drama series, claiming they thought they’d be celebrating.
Last week, Combs’ attorneys alleged “the government has presented testimony that it knew or should have known was materially false related to its allegation that Mr Combs dangled Bryana Bongolan from the balcony of Cassie Ventura’s apartment in September 2016. Accordingly, to avoid an unfair conviction in this case, the Court should grant a mistrial.”
They claimed Cassie’s statement that she saw Bongolan being dangled over the balcony was false, as she allegedly found out about the incident via text messages.
Combs’ team called her account “demonstrably false,” saying, “The incident, as alleged, is disturbing and powerful evidence, and the government has used it to depict Mr Combs in an extremely negative light, as an angry and dangerous man who terrified Ms Ventura and her friends.”
They claimed photos of Bongolan’s injuries were taken on September 26th, 2016, in Los Angeles when Combs was in NYC, and that the prosecution knew “or should have known that this testimony was perjured,” as “the government has long known” that information.
His lawyers also said they “repeatedly attempted to disrupt” their line of questioning while trying to “expose the perjury upon cross-examination. All of this was highly improper and exacerbated the harm caused by the perjured testimony.”
Combs’ trial is ongoing, in which he’s facing charges of racketeering, sex trafficking by force, and transportation for purposes of prostitution.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.